Game of Thrones: The Real Reason Daenerys Burned Kings Landing
Daenerys Targaryen turned into the Mad Queen in Game of Thrones, but there are reasons why she snapped. Here’s why Dany burned Kings Landing.
Daenerys Targaryen transformed into the Mad Queen in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, and the Daenerys Kings Landing attack remains of the most shocking moments on the show. While it was shocking, there are several reasons Daenerys burned King’s Landing to the ground after she had lost everyone and everything dearest to her. In “The Bells”, the Dragon Queen single-handedly won the Battle of King’s Landing; riding Drogon, they annihilated Euron Greyjoy’s Iron Fleet, wiped out the Golden Company, and eliminated the city’s anti-dragon defenses. But after the bells rang signaling Cersei Lannister’s surrender, Daenerys snapped and massacred the city with dragonfire.
The divisive Game of Thrones finale culminates in the burning of Kings Landing and, with it, the completion of Daenerys’ transformation into the Mad Queen. Channeling her father Aerys II Targaryen, also known as the Mad King, Daenerys forced the citizens of King’s Landing to relive the nightmare of Aerys II’s reign of terror, finally doing what both her enemies and allies most feared about Game of Thrones’ Dragon Queen. On one hand, this move surprised long-time viewers of the show, who observed Daenerys’ growth from a reluctant Targaryen heir into a conqueror who sought to break the wheel of Westerosi feudal society. On the other hand, Daenerys Targaryen’s seemingly sudden descent into madness wasn’t completely unprecedented.
Why Dany Burns King’s Landing
Daenerys Showed Restraint Until Cersei Took Too Much From Her
Burning King’s Landing to the ground was a goal Daenerys had at the start of her war with Cersei in Game of Thrones, but she was talked out of it by Tyrion. Indeed, at the beginning of Game of Thrones season 7, Daenerys was poised not just to conquer Westeros but also to do it easily and decisively. When she left Essos, Daenerys looked unbeatable. She had amassed an all-star contingency of loyalists: Tyrion was Hand of the Queen, she had the allegiance of Lady Olenna Tyrell of Highgarden, Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes of Dorne, Theon and Yara Greyjoy’s Iron Fleet, as well as Varys and Missandei.
In addition, Dany had her legions of Unsullied led by the eternally loyal Gray Worm, the Dothraki hordes, and Daenerys’ dragons Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon. It was inconceivable that she could lose to Cersei — and yet, thanks to Tyrion’s miscalculations, she lost consistently, except for the Loot Train Battle, which Dany won thanks to her dragons. But by the time Daenerys reached Winterfell to fight the Great War against the Night King in Game of Thrones season 8, she had lost a significant amount of her military strength, and her allies Ellaria Sand and Olenna Tyrell were dead.
Also, her Iron Fleet was gone when Yara was captured by Euron Greyjoy. Worst of all, Viserion was killed and resurrected as the Night King’s ice dragon. But beyond the icy reception she received, despite the presence of her lover Jon Snow, it was at Winterfell that Daenerys suffered her most personal loss: Jorah Mormont, Daenerys’ oldest and dearest friend, died defending her at the Battle of Winterfell. After the Great War was won, Daenerys lost even more loved ones when she was ambushed returning to Dragonstone; Euron killed Rhaegal, and then Missandei was captured and beheaded in front of her on Cersei’s orders.
Dany Had Lost Everything
Daenerys Became The Mad Queen Because Her Trauma Overcame Her
In “The Bells”, Daenerys had realized that her most loyal confidants and friends from Essos were gone. Other than Gray Worm, who was mourning Missandei as much as Daenerys, everyone else who professed to support her was from Westeros. Worse, they were plotting behind her back because the secret that Jon Snow was Aegon Targaryen, the son of her dead brother Rhaegal, was spreading. Despite Daenerys’ pleas, Jon told his family Arya and Sansa Stark the truth about his heritage, and Sansa wasted little time in informing Tyrion.
Once Tyrion shared the information with Varys, the Spider was sending letters across Westeros trying to rally the highborn to support Jon’s claim instead of Daenerys’. The inconvenient truth for Dany was that Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne as the true heir was stronger than her own. While many fans feel Daenerys’ heel turn into the Mad Queen felt abrupt, forced, and unearned, her capacity for ruthlessness was established all throughout Game of Thrones.
There’s a legitimate argument that Daenerys’ transformation into the Mad Queen seems to betray seven seasons of character development as she resisted her Targaryen impulses and tried to rule with fairness and mercy. But from Daenerys’ point of view, she was robbed by her Westerosi advisers, and the people from Essos she trusted most were taken from her while she was trying her best to save the realm. With Jorah and Missandei gone, the ones who are left, like Jon and Tyrion, betrayed her for the good of Westeros, culminating in the death of Daenerys and Bran the Broken on the Iron Throne.
Westeros Burned Daenerys First
Daenerys Destroyed Kings Landing In Retaliation
By the time Daenerys won at King’s Landing, she realized that despite everything she’d lost, Westeros refused to trust her or love its new Targaryen ruler
In Essos, Daenerys was magnetic and received love wherever she went, and all of her achievements are because of her unwavering belief in herself. However, Daenerys learned the hard way that no one really believed in her or loved her in Westeros, whose collective memory of the Targaryens wasn’t exactly pleasant. This is part of why Dany was only met with mistrust. Tyrion even noted Sansa seemed “determined” not to trust Daenerys and, despite Dany’s overtures of friendship, the Lady of Winterfell refused any truce.
By the time Daenerys won at King’s Landing, she realized that despite everything she’d lost, Westeros refused to trust her or love its new Targaryen ruler (the final sign was Jon’s hesitance to kiss her), so her only recourse was to make them fear her. Daenerys is the only person in Game of Thrones actually qualified to rule because she spent years learning how to do it well. She really did come to Westeros to “break the wheel” and build a better world, but the actions of her Westerosi allies showed they only wanted to preserve their broken system.
From the beginning to the ending of Game of Thrones, it was Westeros that failed her, and Daenerys lost everything in her quest for the Iron Throne. So she finally snapped and unleashed all of her frustrations, grief, and pure rage on King’s Landing. It may be true that Daenerys was always the Mad Queen and finally showed her true colors, but it can also be argued that it’s Westeros that made her “Mad,” and she simply gave them what they wanted — and what they deserved.
Why Daenerys Still Isn’t GoT’s Villain
Becoming The Mad Queen Didn’t Make Daenerys An Antagonist
She should really be thought of much like her dragons — a force of nature corrupted to become a destructive typhoon instead of the healing rains that could have washed away Westeros’ bloated hubris.
Despite her torching-the-innocent season 8 heel turn, Daenerys still isn’t even close to being the overall villain in Game of Thrones. Daenerys is simply a product of the cruelty of Westeros — she’s a mirror, metaphorically speaking, and a reminder of the destruction that unfolded during eras like House of the Dragon’s prequel setting. She also serves as a thematic glimpse into Westeros’ future if something doesn’t change, and this is a fact Tyrion probably realized all too well when he assured Bran the Broken was installed on the throne: he believed it’s better to have a ruler with too much knowledge than one with too much firepower.
Many fans forget just how much Daenerys has gone through. Even though Khal Drogo is a fan-favorite character following the end of GoT, he still raped Daenerys. The fact she forgave him and this was more-or-less brushed aside is one of season 1’s chief criticisms, but it’s also a strong example of how cruelty in Essos and Westeros created Daenerys the Mad Queen. She’s a brutal liberator who lost too much to a hostile world and reacted appallingly while essentially riding a sentient nuke, but she’s not at the level of dehumanizing sadism that possesses Ramsay Bolton or Joffrey Baratheon.
Game of Thrones‘ Dragon Queen is far too well-grounded with backstory and pure of purpose to be the true villain, and she should really be thought of much like her dragons — a force of nature corrupted to become a destructive typhoon instead of the healing rains that could have washed away Westeros’ bloated hubris.
House Of The Dragon Gives Daenerys’ Madness More Context
The Game Of Thrones Prequel Explains Why Dany Being A Targaryen Matters
When it comes to the Dragon Queen, Game of Thrones’ final story arc for the character is further contextualized by her ancestors in House of the Dragon, some of whom possess their fair share of the infamous Targaryen madness. Although it’s never explicitly stated in either show, the Targaryen madness is a result of not just centuries of incest, but also the blood magic that runs in the veins of the Valyrian family. In many ways, it is this madness that indirectly resulted to the horrific events of the Dance of the Dragons, in which House Targaryen nearly fought itself to extinction.
As House of the Dragon shows, the madness can manifest as prophetic insight or dragon dreaming — as is the case with Helaena or Aegon — or just impulsive bloodlust, like in Daemon or Aerys II. Indeed, Game of Thrones’ Dragon Queen twist is not unprecedented at all, especially to those familiar with the Targaryen bloodline.
Westeros will always remember Daenerys as the Targaryen who burned King’s Landing, and lived up to her father’s reputation as The Mad King, but none of those contrary to her were surprised by her actions — it as only those in her thrall, and the audience, who were shocked. Now that much of the latter has seen House of the Dragon, however, Dany becoming the Dragon Queen feels about right for one of the few Targaryen’s remaining in Game of Thrones.
Daenerys’ Decision Won’t Be Expanded On In The Jon Snow Spinoff
There Won’t Be Any New GoT Stories Featuring Dany
While there are millions of Game of Thrones spinoffs on the horizon, only one of the proposed continuations of the franchise will take place after the events of Game of Thrones. A Jon Snow spinoff series has been discussed which would follow the former King in the North now living with the Wildlings Beyond the Wall. Some fans felt there would be a possibility of Daenerys making a return in the series as well.
After Jon kills Daenerys in the finale, Drogon takes her body and flies away. There are some fan theories that suggest the dragon could be taking her to Valyria where a Red Priest or Priestess could revive her just as Melisandre did with Jon Snow in season 6. However, Emilia Clarke confirms (via: Extra) that “I wouldn’ t be in it no.” This is not surprising as bringing Daenerys back would not be the best way to have her action make more sense as the show leaves her as a hard character to sympathize with.
Instead, Jon Snow’s continued story might be the best way to give Daenerys her due in death. While Daenerys was seen as the villain in the end and Jon as the tragic hero who had to kill her, it is more complicated than that. The spinoff can focus on Jon coming to terms with what he did and his role in allowing Daenerys to go down this path that led to her Kings Landing destruction in Game of Thrones.
